Seat



Dec` 4, 1928.A

1,693,783 w. E. B. HAssELKUs SEAT Filed Aug. 17, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet l mi?, @dbd Dec. 4, 1928. 1,693,783

w. E. B. HAssELKus SEAT Filed Aug. 17, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 4, 1928.

W. E. B. HASSELKUS SEAT Filed Aug. 1'7, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 4, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.N

WILLIAM E. B. HASSELKUS, OF JAMAICA., NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL MOTOR COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

saam.

Application mea August iz, 192e. serial No. 129,720.

This invention relates to seats for commei-cial passenger carrying vehicles and particularly to seats adapted to accommodate two passengers and capable of reversal to 6 face in the opposite direction.

The object of I(he present invention is to provide a seat of this character wherein the back shall be disposed at the angle of greatest comfort to the occupant and which 10 is nevertheless rotatable about a vertical axis when disposed proximate adjacent seats at a distance only sufficient to afford ample room for the knees. Accordingly, provision is made for tipping the. scat about its axis in order that the back, which normally inclines upwardly and rearwardly, may extend in a substantially vertical direction to avoid striking the adjacent seat back as-the seat is swung about. More specifically, the

seat is pivoted in a transverse horizontal direction upon a vertical spindle journaled in a pedestal, suitable devices being provided to prevent the tippin of the seat except when the spindle is re eased for rotation.

The invention also resides in the structure of the seat and edestal and the associated connections whic shall be practical from the standpoint of ease and economy of manufacture and convenience and durability in use.

These and other objects of the invention and the means for their attainment will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, in which:

Figure l is a view in side elevation, partly in section, showing two of the seats according to the presentinvention appropriately spaced, one of which is tilted so that the back is brought nearer the vertical axis of the seat to permit it to be rotated without inerfering with the seat back forwardly thereof.

Figure 2 is a view in front elevation, partly in section, showing the seat in position for use.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view showing the pedestal and swiveling connections for the seat, when actuated to permit tipping.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line 4 4 in Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing details of construction of the spindle and locking mechanism.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional vi'cw showing locking elements which normally prevent tipping and rotation of the seat in inoperative position. 4

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but with the locking elements shown in operative position.

The seats a, designed to accommodate two persons side by side, are adapted to be disposed along either side, say, of a passenger carrying vehicle, one behind the other, and are spaced from one another a distance just about suilieient to conveniently accommodate the knees of the occupants. The backs a are inclined rearwardly and upwardly at an angle conducive to the greatest comfort of the occupants-as shown clearly at the left hand side of Figure 1. The seats are designed to be turned about to face in the opposite' direction so that they can be used in such vehicles as rail cars, wherein the direction of travel is reversed periodically. Rotation, alone, of the seat with rcspect to a vertical axis is not possible since the inclined back of lthe rotating seat would contact with the inclined back of the seat in front. The seat is therefore arranged to tip about a horizontal axis 7) so that the back may extend in a substantially vertical direction, as shown at the right in Figure 1, and avoid contact with an adjacent seat back as the seat is turned.

The seat frame a2, which supports the seat cushion a3 and the back a is shown as supported yieldingly by non-metallic cushioning elements e from a base plate d. This plate is mounted by the brackets d', upon a. transversely extending shaft o journaledin bracket e, carried with a rotatable spindle e seated in a complementary bearing 7' earried by the pedestal g. When it is desired to turn the seat to face in the opposite direction the spindle e is released for rotation by depressing the pedal le. on the lever It fulcrumed on the pedestal at g. The arm h2 of the lever is raised against the lower end of the spindle e to raise it slightly and break any frictional engagement Figures 3, 5 .and 6 fto raise the locking lugs e out of the recesses f2. At the same time the upright locking arm ha is swun outwardly bringing the roller h* out of t e recesses e* f in the spindle ianged e2 and bearing flange f', respectively. The spindle is thus free to be rotated with respect to the pedestal.

The tipping of the seat is also eifected by the ralsing of the spindle and occurs simultaneously. therewith. In the longitudinal median plane of the seat there is disposed a coil spring i seated in a cylindrical housing j carried with the spindle ange f and constantly tending to force the rear edge of the seat upwardly about the shaft b as a pivot. When the seat is in operative position as shown at the left of ,Flgure 1 the tendency to tilt is resisted by a stop diametrically opposite the spring i. This stop takes the form of a plun r k reciprocal inthe spindle flange @zand earin lwith its .enlarged end kf upon the pedesta iiange f', At its top it carries adjustably a rounded bearing member k2 which the l sprin seat en ges. 'At the rear the cup Z on the base plate d, in which the upper end of the seats when cooperating with the cylin rical container j for the spring forms a stop to prevent the seat tipping backward.

lWhen the spindle e is raise the plun er k remains seated on the bearing flange f and' thus the cap k remains at its ori inal elevation. The ring i atv the rear owever, is raised 'and t e forward stop being removed,

the seat is free to tip forward about thev shaft b. After the seat is tipped, the spindle is rotatable without obstruction, the lockingv lugs e and stop-plunger k riding over the surface of the bearing flange f until the recess e diametrically opposite the recess e* in the flange e comes into register with the recess f when the roller latch h* is 'forced inwardly (the foot having been taken olf the pedal h) by the spring m acting on the arm h. The flan es are thus prevented from relative rotatlon and the stops e' are in register with the apertures f2 and the spindle then is enabled to sink home again into the housin As a measure of sa ety the spindle vis prevented from coming entirel out of the bearing b the shoulder h w ich overlies the spmd e flange.

It will thus be seen that a reversible seat has been provided which lends itself to a compact dlsposition when arranged in series in a vehicle, while at the same time contribut-ing to the comfort of the occupants.

Various modifications may be made in the instrumentalities availed of to afford reversibility Without departing from the invention in its broadest aspects as delineated in the annexed claims. V

What is claimed is: 1. In a reversible seat, inycombination, a seat frame a pedestal means to permit the rotation o the seat f the vertical axis of the pedestal, said means also permitting the seat frame to be ele-4 vated means to permit the seat frame to tilt a out a horizontal axis with respect to the pedestal, and means to elevate and tilt Vthe seat frame simultaneously.

2. In a reversible seat,'in` combination, a seat frame a pedestal means to permit the rotation o the seat frame with respect to the vertical axis of the pedestal, means to elevate and lower the seat frame, means to permit the seat frame to tilt about a horizontal axis with respect to the pedestal,l and means co-operating with the pedestal to prevent the tiltin and rotating of the rame, said means ing effective upon lowering of the frame.,I

3. In a reversible seat, in combination, a seat frame, a pedestal means to permit the rotation of the seat frame with 4respect to the vertical axis vof the pedestal, means to elevate and lower the seat frame, means to permit the seat frame to tilt about a horizontal axis with respect to the pedestal, and separate means effective upon lowering, of

rame with respect to' frame against rotation and tilting.

4. In a reversible. seat, in combination, a seat frame, a pedestal means to permit the rotation of the seat frame with respectto the vertical axis of the edestal, a horizontal axis about which t e seat may tilt with respect to the edestal,-means to cause the seat frame to t1lt about the horizontal axis, means to lockI the frame against rotation and manually operable means to release the frame for rotation and permit the tilting means to operate simultaneously;

5. In a reversible seat, in'combination a seat frame, apedestal, a spindle carried with the frame and journaled in the pedestal, means to prevent the spindle from rotating, means for mountingf the seat frame pivotally on the spindle to VPermit tiltin expansion means carried with the spin e and seat frame from a normal position to permit tiltin of the seat framewith` respect to the spindle, a stop carried `with the spindle and engaging the seat frame andpedestal when the spindle andthe seat frame are in the normal position to prevent tilting of the frame.

6. In a reversible seat, in combination, a seat frame, a pedestal, a s indle carried with the frame and journale in the pedestal, means to prevent the spindle from rotating, means for mounting the seat frame pivotall on the spindle, expansion means carried wit Ino the spindle and engaging the seat frame, stop means to oppose the action of the expansony means, manually operable means to release the means to prevent the rotation oi the spindle, and means operated simultaneously with the operation of the means to prevent rotation of the spindle, to prevent thestop from opposing the action of the expansion means.

I 7. In a reversible seat, in combination, a seat frame, a pedestal formed with a ange, a spindle journaled in the pedestal and having a flange, a horizontal shaft carried with the spindle, said seat frame being rotatable about the axis of the shaft, a coil spring 15 carried with the spindle flange and engaging the seat frame, a stop reciprocal inthe spindle ange and seated on the pedestal flange and adapted to oppose the spring and a lever to raise the spindlewith respect to 20 

